The invention disclosed herein relates generally to messaging technology, and more particularly to a system and method for providing secure, on-demand printing of documents delivered to a networked printing device.
In today""s rapidly paced society, professional and personal demands on messaging technologies, such as voice mail, e-mail, facsimile and pagers, have greatly increased. The development of this technology, in turn, has increased demands on mobile people who rely on these messaging devices for a variety of business and social communications. Specifically, these expectations have forced the mobile professional to demand the ability to receive messages regardless of time, location, or availability of messaging devices. According to a recent study by Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford, Conn., a typical business professional receives 169 messages a day. Many of these messages are delivered using some form of electronic and mobile communication such as cellular telephones, facsimiles, analog/digital telephone, pagers, e-mail transmission, and personal data assistants. These messages help determine the mobile professional""s daily plans, keep him/her in contact with his/her community and enable him/her to accomplish his/her professional and personal goals.
Users, recognizing the capabilities of these devices, have relied on these devices such that they have become nearly indispensable tools for many businesses and individual consumers. Specifically recognized as invaluable are the inherent capabilities of a facsimile as an effective means of quickly and efficiently transmitting many types of documents from one known and specified location to another known and specified location. Facsimile machines are indispensable global tools, because they are used throughout the world and are accessible by and compatible with any other facsimile in the world. In addition, the use of facsimile machines has significantly improved the speed of transmittal of documents as compared to the sending of such a document through the postal services and/or various other express courier services, which, in general, require overnight delivery. Furthermore, facsimile machines have eased the travel burden on mobile professionals by eliminating the total number of printed documents they must carry to offsite meetings. With the aid of facsimile machines, any forgotten necessary documents may be retrieved by a simple facsimile.
In another messaging scenario, an individual may desire to print a hard copy of a document, an e-mail message or attachments to an e-mail message. In typical document messaging systems, a user desiring to print a document or message must be physically connected to a local printer or networked to a shared printer to print the document or message.
There are problems, however, with conventional document messaging systems. For example, a person desiring to print a document or message, or receive a facsimile of a document or message, must know the location of the device, and in the case of a facsimile, the facsimile number where a message may be received. If the message is a confidential communication, the user will desire to be present at the precise time the document or message is printed to claim the printed document or message before others see it. Otherwise, if the receiving facsimile machine or printer is in a public location, there is a risk that the message will be printed and left in an accessible location before the intended recipient gets there. Thus, if the intended recipient is not physically present at the facsimile machine or printer when the printing occurs, the intended recipient may never receive the message, and/or any confidentiality may be broken.
Similarly, if a shared network printer is being used to print a document or a message, there is a risk that the document or message will be printed and left in an accessible location before the user gets there to retrieve the printed document or message. Accordingly, any confidentiality may not be maintained.
Thus, there exists a need for a messaging system that can provide secure, on-demand printing of documents or messages delivered to a printing device, thereby ensuring receipt by the intended recipient and ensuring confidentiality of the contents of the document or message.
The present invention alleviates the problems associated with the prior art and provides secure, on-demand printing of documents, messages and the like delivered to a networked printing device, such as, for example, a printer or copier.
In accordance with the present invention, a user logs onto a networked document delivery system using a mobile device and selects a document, message or the like stored on a server to be printed along with a destination printing device in the network for performing the printing. The document server encrypts the document to be delivered to the printing destination, creates a key and stores the encrypted document on the network. The key is sent to the mobile device. The document server sends a pointer, indicating the location of the document on the network, to the destination printing device. When the user is physically at the destination printing device, a connection is established between the mobile device and the destination printing device. The mobile device identifies to the printing device the document to be printed and sends the key to the printing device. The printing device, using the pointer, retrieves the document from the network and uses the key to decrypt the document. The printing device then prints the document. Accordingly, the document will not be printed until the user is present at the printing device to retrieve the document as soon as it is printed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the pointer and key are sent to the mobile device. When the user is physically at the destination printing device, a connection is established between the mobile device and the destination printing device. The mobile device sends the pointer and key to the printing device. The printing device, using the pointer, retrieves the document from the network and uses the key to decrypt the document. The printing device then prints the document.